Folk star Jon Boden will take the role of guest curator of Cambridge Folk Festival 2017, it has been announced, with tickets on sale now.

Jon will programme up to five artists appearing across the festival’s four stages and the festival weekend. He will introduce each of his selected artists live onstage and will be on-site all weekend presenting additional unique happenings and the odd surprise event.

Jon will join with The Remnant Kings to perform their first live show in several years with a one-off preview performance on the festival’s main stage. The performance will feature material from Jon’s self-titled album to be released in autumn 2017.

The performance will also dip into material from Bellowhead, the A Folk Song A Day project and more.

Jon said: “Like many folk artists, Cambridge Folk Festival has meant a huge amount to me over the years so I am incredibly excited to be asked to be guest curator.

“Cambridge has always excelled at bringing together the many varied and disparate aspects of the folk scene and beyond so I am looking forward immensely to being a part of that process in 2017.

“I have played at Cambridge many, many times but it’s rare that I have been able to stay for more than the day of my gig so I am particularly thrilled to have the opportunity to be a part of the event for the full weekend and to immerse myself in the rich culture of Cambridge Folk Festival. I can’t wait to get stuck in.”

Starting life in 1965, the festival has gone on to become one of the most prestigious folk events in the world and enjoys sell-out success year after year.

Now, it is offering loyal supporters three different types of membership as part of The 1965 Club Membership Scheme, each providing various benefits such as priority booking and discounts, with the donations raised going to support the festival’s unique work with new and emerging musicians.

Artist development has always been central to the values of Cambridge Folk Festival, as seen by dedicated emerging talent stages The Den, The Hub and the Club Tent showcases, which have hosted artists including Jake Bugg, Newton Faulkner, Seth Lakeman and The Staves early in their careers. The 1965 Club will help to nurture the next generation of headliners.

Steve Bagnall, managing director of organiser Cambridge Live, said: “Cambridge Folk Festival is renowned for its genre-defining programme which gives our audiences a chance to broaden their taste in music and see the next big thing before anyone else.

“We are very excited to be working with our new guest curator Jon Boden who will bring his unique artistic vision to the 2017 line-up, and I hope that lots of our loyal folks will want to help support our work with emerging artists by becoming members of The 1965 Club.”

Tickets for next year’s Cambridge Folk Festival will go on general sale from 10am today (Thursday) at 10am. Early booking is advisable. For more about the membership scheme, cambridgelivetrust.co.uk/folk-festival/folk-festival/memberships. Weekend tickets: £167; Day tickets: £27.50 (Thursday), £59.50 (Friday), £70 (Saturday), £70 (Sunday). Camping at Cherry Hinton Hall and Coldham’s Common is available.